What about the Kids? Screw the Kids
In 1996, Democrat-in-name-only Bill Clinton signed into law the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act — the Orwellian-sounding bill designed to end welfare as we know it. And it worked pretty well:
Since the welfare overhaul, the number of recipients plunged as many found stable employment.
That's the good news. This is the bad:
At the same time, the number of single mothers who are unemployed and who receive no welfare assistance has doubled, from 16 percent in 1996 to nearly 33 percent in 2005, or 1 in 3 single parents.
I'm sure the super-sensitive Clinton is biting his lip over that sorry statistic.
Comments
Welfare reform was a flop, but I don't entirely blame Clinton. Republican policies depressed wages, helped send more jobs of the country, and continued to whittle away at safety nets, i.e., Head Start, Medicaid, etc.
I think most of us want able-bodied people to work, but finding a job should not end our support for them.
Posted by: Kathy | July 7, 2008 01:01 PM
Kathy, I agree that the Republicans have made a mess of the economy, and the people on the lower rungs hurt the most. But those single-mothers and their kids would be better off today if Clinton hadn't signed that bill into law.Maybe I just don't get the Clintons.
Posted by: abi | July 7, 2008 04:56 PM